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Brad the Tyrant
Brad the Tyrant, officially titled Dux Bradford John, was the dictator, founder and president of Sparrow; one of the largest player-created regions in NationStates between August and December 2003. He is currently active as the leader of revived nation The Dáxlamic Evergreen Republic of New Bradfordsburg, the founding state of the Dáxlamic faith and The Radiant. Brad the Tyrant is most remembered for winning Sparrow's first presidential elections and shortly thereafter suspending the constitution, which created a political crisis that eventually led to the griefing of Sparrow on December 26, 2003. For the griefing, moderators deleted Brad the Tyrant's nations and removed him as Sparrow's founder. In April 2004, Brad the Tyrant was successful in once again griefing Sparrow and re-assumed dictatorial powers. After the griefing, moderators took the unprecedented step of appointing The Hegemony of Borogravia Moldavi as founder of Sparrow. Presidency Brad the Tyrant was elected President of Sparrow in August of 2003 after running unopposed. After being elected, he ratified Sparrow's constitution and appointed The Republic of Tygaland as Immigration Minister and The Hegemony of Borogravia Moldavi as UN Delegate. By late September, Sparrow's population had swelled to over 400 members, making it one of the largest player-created regions in NationStates. As Sparrow grew, Brad the Tyrant lobbied for parliamentary elections and recruited his political allies to seek elected office. Parliamentary elections in October 2003 saw a rejection of Brad the Tyrant's push for autocratic rule and candidate nations Brad the Tyrant endorsed failed to win electorally. Sparrow's parliament soon after passed sweeping reforms to limit Brad the Tyrant's power, including term limits, which Brad the Tyrant threatened to ignore. By November of 2003, parliament established the Sparrow Elite Covert Ops (SECO), a separate affiliated region intended to serve as the military arm of Sparrow's diplomacy. Brad the Tyrant demanded legislation that would include his office in SECO's power structure, but the Sparrowivan Parliament showed disinterest in his requests and complained about nepotism. When it became clear that Brad the Tyrant would not be given a high ranking post in the SECO, he threatened to eject democratically elected nations of parliament that had opposed him in the effort. Several days before Christmas 2003, Brad the Tyrant suspended the Constitution of Sparrow and decreed supreme rule, dissolving the Parliament of Sparrow and cancelling upcoming elections. A number of elected nations in Sparrow protested strongly and immediately left the region. Fearing the region would rally against him, Brad the Tyrant began griefing Sparrow on December 26, 2003 and ejected over 70 member states before moderators could intervene. Griefing of Sparrow Brad the Tyrant's griefing of Sparrow lasted for a little over an hour on December 26, 2003. Over 70 nations, apparently targeted by Brad the Tyrant because of their political opposition, were banished to the Rejected Realms without explanation. In some instances, Brad the Tyrant sent taunting messages to nations before and after they were banned. As Brad the Tyrant was in the process of banning nations from Sparrow, the NationStates moderators were alerted to the unfolding situation and deleted his nation, The Evergreen Republic of Bradfordsburg. The move was controversial, as Brad the Tyrant had technically not violated game rules. Moderators, however, considered his case extraordinary due to Sparrow's size and its reliance on Brad the Tyrant's role as founder. Moderators advertised their actions against Bradfordsburg as an example not to be repeated in game forums. Despite receiving a delete on sight order, Brad the Tyrant continued to harass his enemies with puppet nations after the griefing. Several NationStates media outlets covering the events in Sparrow also reported that Brad the Tyrant had committed treason after the griefing and attempted to sell Sparrow to USSR, a region that then belonged in an adversarial alliance. Brad the Tyrant reportedly sought a permanent senate seat in the USSR in return for handing over the reigns of Sparrow. His offer was rejected, although it was reportedly considered by the USSR senate before Bradfordsburg was deleted. Second Griefing of Sparrow In early April 2004, Brad the Tyrant invaded Sparrow and re-griefed the region after attaining the UN Delegate position with The Republic of Randovia. Due to the region's status as 'founderless,' Brad the Tyrant gained full control over Sparrow for the period of one week. After attaining power, Brad the Tyrant password protected the region and ejected his remaining political opponents. After griefing the region, Brad the Tyrant posted graphic messages insulting several of Sparrow's members. The messages, which contain profanity, were republished by NationStates media outlet Seattle News, where they remain visible to the public. Sparrow's former members reorganized in New Sparrow during the 2004 griefing, where the vast majority of them remained until the region shuttered in 2007. Moderators once again intervened on April 9 and deleted additional Brad the Tyrant nations. After the griefing, moderators took the unprecedented action of appointing Borogravia Moldavi as founder of Sparrow, which has since prevented additional griefings. Return to prominence in Sparrowivan politics Two years after griefing Sparrow, Brad the Tyrant was allowed into New Sparrow as a full member. Even long after the griefings, Brad the Tyrant maintained a following from his 2003 presidency and, after a Constitutional amendment allowed him to once again run for office, his nation New Bradfordsburg was elected to the position of Immigration Minister. Brad the Tyrant announced his retirement from game play after finishing his term as New Sparrow's Immigration Minister in December 2006. Soon after, in early 2007, New Sparrow dissolved as a region. Return to gameplay Brad the Tyrant revived New Bradfordsburg in March of 2016 and has since founded The Radiant. Puppet nations, appearing to be under Brad the Tyrant's control, have also posted harassing messages Sparrow and New Sparrow's regional forums. As a result, Sparrow is once again protected. Brad the Tyrant maintains his status as Sparrow's "true ruler" in 2016. The War of The Radiants In October of 2017, The Radiant declared war on Radiant Republic, which was founded after Brad the Tyrant ceased to exist as the founder of the region. After forming an alliance with raiders, The Radiant successfully raided Radiant Republic and forced an unconditional surrender from Odinburgh, the former WA Delegate of The Radiant. Soon after, The Radiant reunited and peaked at 216 nations on Jan. 26, 2018. Second War of The Radiants On Jan. 21, 2019, The Radiant declared war on Novus Lucidum, a region founded after Brad the Tyrant again ceased to exist for several months, from Sept. 2018 to Jan. 2019, as the founder of The Radiant. Novus Lucidum, which is founded by Odinburgh, has been considered a recreation of Radiant Republic. Brad the Tryant has also declared martial law in The Radiant and currently political freedoms in The Radiant are severely limited. Nations have been banjected from The Radiant without democratic process as recently as Jan. 21, 2019 for simply disagreeing with Brad the Tyrant on The Radiant's regional message boards.Category:Current national leaders